Milwaukee County Credible Messenger Program

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

The Credible Messenger Program is a community-based approach to youth justice prevention and intervention that focuses on transformative mentoring and restorative justice in action. Credible Messengers are deployed across the community from multiple community-based organizations and have been trained through the Professional Community Intervention Training Institute. They have shared life experience with the youth they are mentoring and focus on an Intervention or Prevention Track, supporting justice-involved youth or young people identified as high-risk by the community. The program partners with five community-based organizations, including 414 LIFE, Milwaukee Christian Center, Running Rebels, Westcare, and Youth Advocate Program. Each partner organization has a unique area of focus. Credible Messenger is available 24/7 to respond to the needs of high-risk youth, their families, and incidents of community level trauma. Credible Messenger is visible community responders who can engage youth in neighborhood settings, empowering the community to use available resources to maintain public safety. The intended outcomes of this program are to reduce recidivism and increase positive youth engagement through a support system through a network of mentors. To date, a total of 105 youth has received intervention and/or prevention services. Of the 65 youth that received intervention services, 50 youth have not reoffended.